Featured on NPR's Science Friday, an "ingenious” (The Wall Street Journal) and insightful guide to history's legendary and frightening monsters and the science and culture that created them. We all know "there's no such thing as...

Modern audiences do not find dragons frightening. Fascinating as mythical creatures, yes, but terrifying, no. Yet, present them with a story about a virus that can kill a healthy adult in hours and they will have nightmares for weeks....